Complete.xlsx includes all data from the Chinese Organizational History Dataset.

This dataset includes personnel records for Chinese political leaders.  It draws from the Organizational Histories published by the Chinese Communist Party's Organization Department, including data for national and provincial leaders, as well as local leaders in Shanxi Province.

This dataset also serves as replication data for the paper "Dethroning the Mao-era Elite, Clearing the Way for Reform."  To replicate that paper, use the "deliberative" variable to exclude members of deliberative bodies such as the National People’s Congress Standing Committee who are not otherwise listed as holding leadership positions.

When using this dataset, please cite it as follows:
Chen, Hao; Wilson, Saul; Xu, Changxin Patrick; Cheng, Cheng; and Wang, Yuhua.  2023.  "Chinese Organizational History Dataset."  https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/8NAGSS, Harvard Dataverse.

VARIABLES:
branch: One of 中共、政权、军事、统一战线、群团.  These categories are derived from the book titles or section headings in the Organizational Histories.  Before 1949, most officials, including in the government, etc., are classified by the Histories under the Party category.

n_category: These variables are derived from the section headings in the Organizational Histories.  They specify the part of the bureaucracy and the agency/locale to which the official belongs.  Larger n reflects a narrower subcategory.

region: Military and, in the years for which they exist, civilian regions (above the provincial level) in which the official held office.

province: Province in which the official held office.

city: Prefecture or prefecture (sub-provincial) municipality in which the official held office.

county/district: County/district in which the official held office.

subdistrict (town): Subdistrict (town) in which the official held office.

job: The position held by the official.

name: The name of the official.

startmonth: The month the official entered this job.

startyear: The year the official entered this job.

finishmonth: The month the official exited this job.

finishyear: The year the official exited this job.

Female: Whether or not the official is listed as female.

主持工作: Whether or not the official is listed as leading the work of the agency.

代理: Whether or not the official is listed as holding the job in acting capacity.

兼: Whether or not the official is listed as holding the post concurrently.

deliberative: Whether or not the listing is for membership in a large body, namely the Central Committee, the alternate members of the Central Committee, the National People's Congress Standing Committee, or the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Standing Committee.

notes: The full text of notes included in the Organizational History.

book: The geographic locale of the Organizational History from which the listing is taken (e.g., the national Organizational History or that of Taiyuan City).

volume: The volume of the book from which the listing is taken.

years: The years covered in the Organizational History book volume from which the listing is taken.

source: The page range in the noted book and volume from which the listing is taken.